Le Jeu Majeur
by Stariel14
Summary: 11/10/1981. The Dark Lord has won. The Potters are dead. Severus Snape has been commanded to take a bride. The girl he chooses happens to be Bellatrix Lestrange's star pupil. When he proposes to her, she proposes a game.
1. Prologue

**November 10, 1981**

The wizarding world was in disarray. Ten days ago, the Dark Lord had broken into the Potter's home in Godric's Hollow. Lily and James Potter had been enjoying a warm fire while their toddler, Harry, had been sleeping upstairs. The Dark Lord had easily broken through the Potter's defenses. James had quickly gotten to his feet and drawn his wand. Lily had started to rush up the stairs to protect her sleeping baby boy. It was to no avail. Both Potters fell silently to two flashes of green light.

The Dark Lord smirked as he proceeded.

"Fools," he whispered scathingly as he stepped over Lily's body on the stairs.

There was no surprise as to what happened next. The boy was a toddler, sleeping, defenseless, helpless. The Dark Lord only had to say two words and the world of Harry James Potter went dark as he joined his parents in the afterlife.

Since then there had been chaos. Upon hearing that the Dark Lord had fulfilled the prophecy, Albus Dumbledore has abandoned his post at Hogwarts and fled, along with many prominent resistance leaders. The whisper all over Britain was one of terror.

The Dark Lord had won.


	2. Chapter 1: Of Proposals

Severus Snape was moping. The other Death Eaters stared at him, perplexed. Wasn't he glad that he had chosen the winning side; that his master had won?

Well, of course he was. He was just upset that his Lily had had to have been sacrificed for the victory. He snorted with discontent. _His _Lily? More like Potter's Lily. She had made that choice years ago.

"Ah, my most loyal Death Eaters, you have served me well! And the Dark Lord rewards his followers…" the figure at the head of the table hissed.

Severus looked around. Bellatrix Lestrange, seated across from him on the Dark Lords left, was beaming at her master, tears leaking from her dark eyes as she gazed at him lovingly.

"I will send for you all separately. Until then, revel in my victory, friends! You are dismissed." The Dark Lord gestured for them to leave. "Severus, stay behind," he said softly.

The other Death Eaters exchanged knowing glances as they exited the room. Bellatrix lingered for a moment, glaring at Severus.

"Bella, you may wait in the hall. This should not take long." Bellatrix once again beamed at her master.

"Of course, my Lord," she murmured, exiting.

The Dark Lord paused.

"Severus, it would appear that you are… _skulking_ about. Why is this? Do you not delight in our victory? After all, it was your information that led me to the Potters."

"Of course I rejoice in your triumph, my Lord."

The Dark Lord stared at him for a moment. "Ah. It is the Potter woman you are pining over then?" Severus nodded curtly. "Forget about her. She was a Mudblood and not worth your time."

"Yes, my Lord." There was a moment of silence.

"Severus, I would like you to find a wife. Men need more than food to whet their appetite. There has to be some woman among our ranks that interests you. You have a choice. Any unmarried woman."

"My Lord, I-"

"That is enough, Severus," the Dark Lord interrupted. "That was not a suggestion. Fin a wife, or I will find someone to take your place, someone who celebrates properly when victorious."

"Yes, my Lord."

"Good. You may leave. Send Bellatrix in on your way out."

Severus walked briskly out of the room. Arguing with his master would have been foolish. Perhaps he could persuade the Dark Lord to change his mind at a later date.

"Bellatrix, you have been called for." Bellatrix stared at him as though she had seen a ghost for a moment, and then hurried inside.

Perhaps not. Apparently he had underestimated his master's fury. And yet, who would he choose? His mind began listing through all of the female Death Eaters. Bellatrix he hated, and was taken by Rodolphus. Lucius laid claim to Narcissa and Severus was Godfather to their son. Names flashed through his mind: Aurelia McLaggen, Calliope Gibbons, Hyacinth Parkinson, Rosalie MacNair… _Rosalie MacNair._ Bellatrix's pet, her prized pupil. If he chose her, not only would he be fulfilling his master's command, he would also severely annoy and anger his competition. As he rounded the corner, he nearly ran into the subject of his thoughts.

"You're still alive?" she sneered.

"It would appear that way, yes," he replied. She _was_ very pleasing to look at, he noticed. Her chestnut hair flowed smoothly to her waist when she did not have it tied up as she did now. Her navy blue eyes shone with the excitement of victory. Years of carefully avoiding the sun had preserved the paleness of her skin, which was unbroken by blemish or scar.

"Well, what did he want then?" she asked coldly.

"It doesn't concern you," he replied swiftly walking away.

_Such lies, such lies_, he thought. Severus had made his choice.

***

Rosalie MacNair was ecstatic. After years of grueling war in the wizarding world, her master had won.

She had joined the Death Eaters the summer before her 6th year, along with her friends Rabastan Lestrange and Regulus Black. Rabastan was still serving alongside her, but two years ago, Regulus had undertaken a change of heart, and, as so many Death Eaters who had felt regret do, had disappeared.

She didn't pretend as though she did not miss him or he intelligence. On the contrary, she greatly missed the long heated discussions (and quite often other endeavors) that had taken place by the fireplace in the Slytherin Common Room between her, Regulus and Rabastan. But Regulus had been a traitor, and thus had to die.

Other girls in their house had thought Rosalie odd for only spending time with the two boys, but she had never had much interest in befriending other women. Most of the girls she had encountered were worthless, pretty little witches with vacant eyes and vapid stares, destined to be the trophy wives of the wealthy elite. But not Bellatrix. Bellatrix was eleven years older than her, but Rosalie had never related to another woman so well. After she had left Hogwarts two years ago, Bellatrix had hand selected Rosalie to train. She had gladly accepted, her heart seeping with joy and reverence for the older witch.

Rosalie sat waiting in Bellatrix's office. As she waited she began to idly pluck the legs off a spider using magic. Every time it tried to flee, she would block its path until the only place it could go was into a glass of water/. She grinned maliciously as the spider flailed about in the water, slowly drowning. After two years of tutelage under Bellatrix Lestrange, Rosalie had inherited her penchant for playing with her victims and her love of pain.

The door flew open. Rosalie quickly stood up as her mentor entered the room. The spider stopped flailing with a flash of green light.

"What is your relationship with Severus Snape?" Bellatrix barked, rounding on the girl, dark eyes glaring at her pupil.

"What do you mean? Professionally or intimat-" Rosalie began, a slight smile on her lips.

"_What do you mean?_" Bellatrix repeated in her mocking baby voice. Rosalie's smile faltered. "You are not stupid, nor are you a child. I've no time for your games, Rosalie, answer me!"

Rosalie considered the question for a moment.

"As you know, we were in the same circle at school, albeit he was two years above me. We worked together once and I've had several intellectual conversations with him. He certainly does not _like_ me, although I do not know the extent to which he dislikes me."

Bellatrix paused, the word of her pupil mulling over in her mind.

"Do you posses the flirtatious manner you have around other men when you speak with him?"

"No."

"Has he ever fucked you?"

Rosalie's eyes narrowed. "No." The reply came out as a hiss.

"Oh, don't glare at me like that. You've fucked Rabastan and Regulus, and for all I know you've fucked Rodolphus. It is not a far stretch to believe that you've fucked Snape as well."

"I do not traipse around the legions of the Dark Lord's followers seducing and fucking every man in sight!" Rosalie growled. She had heard this accusation before, from lower level Death Eaters who believed that she was sleeping her way to the top, and she had expected to hear it again, but not from Bellatrix.

"Well you certainly do not produce an air of chastity," Bellatrix responded curtly.

"I am not a common harlot!" Rosalie shrieked. Bellatrix looked over her pupil.

"No, I don't suppose you are," she said calmly.

"Why are _you_ asking about Snape?" Rosalie asked, rather rudely. There was a loud bang, a flash of red light and a yelp. Rosalie grabbed her left hand, which now sported a shiny pink welt.

"Show respect for your betters, girl. D not let your temper clout your judgment

"Ask again, properly this time."

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't apologize. Ask again!" Bellatrix brandished her wand threateningly.

"Bellatrix, would you please tell me why you are asking about my relationship to Snape?" Rosalie asked, still clutching her hand.

"Better." Bellatrix sat down in a rich leather chair. "It would appear that the Dark Lord has commanded that Snape find himself a bride.

The color drained form Rosalie's face. She couldn't fathom being tied to such a man, her freedom restricted, suffocating. She would much rather marry Rabastan, someone she had some control over, if she had to marry at all.

"But, I- I do not want- I will not marry filth like Snape!"

"If the Dark Lord commands it, it does not matter what you think you will or will not do, you must comply!"

"But- " Rosalie began, but then thought better of it.

"The Dark Lord has given Snape a choice of the unmarried girls," Bellatrix said, answering Rosalie's unspoken question. Relief flooded through her mind. "Snape has not chosen you. Not yet."

"Not _yet?_ Do you mean to say he will?"

"I am not certain. You are a prime candidate, though."

"Me? Why?"

"_Why?_ Do you not look at yourself in the mirror? Do you not see how I despise Snape and how he detests me? There is a war among Death Eaters, Rosalie. Possessing you would be a huge advantage for him. He knows you are my prize. He would force you to disclose me secrets to him."

"No," Rosalie whispered, sinking to her knees in front of her teacher. "I wouldn't- I would never."

"I know you wouldn't _mean_ to," Bellatrix said, stroking the girl's hair. "But Severus Snape possesses ways to get a person to talk that you cannot even fathom. For all his faults, he is a very talented wizard, his skill far surpassing your own." She paused. "I would not lose you to Severus Snape, Rose."

"I will not be lost." Bellatrix smiled.

"I hope not. Be on your guard though, Severus can-" Bellatrix stopped when she glanced at the younger girl who was wincing and biting her lip trying to stop a cry of pain. "What's wrong with you?" she demanded.

"I- it's nothing." Rosalie's reply sounded forced.

"Don't lie. What's wrong with you?"

"I-"

"It's your back, isn't it?" the older witch interrupted. Rosalie nodded curtly. "Well, stand up and let me see it."

Rosalie rose to her feet, unfastened her cloak and lifted her black blouse to reveal an angry red burn that snaked it's way diagonally from her right ribcage down to her left hip.

"It has not improved. I thought…" Bellatrix trailed off. "Fuck Alastor Moody, that bastard. You say you did not hear the spell he used?"

"It was nonverbal. Even if it wasn't, it was too chaotic and I was finishing off the Vance woman. I wouldn't have heard him anyway," Rosalie said breathily.

"Ah, the price you must pay for not being alert!" Rosalie cried out as Bellatrix ran a cold finger over the burn. The dark eyed witch smiled, relishing the other girl's pain. "How much does it hurt?"

"It- is- bearable," Rosalie replied through gritted teeth.

"Ironic, don't you agree?" Bellatrix asked nonchalantly, pulling the younger girl's shirt back down.

"I'm sorry, I must have missed the irony," she replied, still breathing heavily.

"I think the only person who can dissolve the pain for you would be Severus Snape."

Rosalie whipped around. "Snape could help?"

"Yes, but you mustn't ask him." Bellatrix's eyes hardened as she spoke. "It would only leave you in debt to him and vulnerable to his advances. You must wait until he chooses another girl."

"And if this- _kills_ me?"

"Oh, I doubt it will. Alastor Moody was never one for slow deaths. He was always straight to the point," Bellatrix said, chuckling softly to herself. Rosalie did not see the humor.

***

November 12, 1981

Severus thought it was amusing that Rosalie had been avoiding him. Of course, he had expected it. He had assumed the Dark Lord had told Bellatrix of his orders, and Bellatrix was not an unintelligent witch. It probably hadn't taken her long to figure out who he would choose as his bride. She had probably warned Rosalie the same night.

And so she had been avoiding him. Since that night he had deliberately sought her out, taking some wicked pleasure in watching her squirm until he dismissed her and she could slink away to some other room.

It had been two days since his orders had been given and he was now back in front of his master again, who was waiting for his decision.

"Ah, Severus. Have you chosen your bride yet? Or have you been lurking about in your rooms, hoping I would change my mind?"

"I think both, my Lord." The Dark Lord's smile was cold. "Rosalie MacNair."

"MacNair. Bella's Rosalie?" Snape nodded. "You play dirty, Severus, my slippery friend. Bella will not be happy." The Dark Lord paused. "And yet I promised you _any_ girl, didn't I? And Lord Voldemort does not go back on his promises…"

The Dark Lord pointed his wand at the door. There was a loud bang and Wormtail scurried in.

"Y-yes, my Lord?"

"Wormtail, find Bellatrix and Rosalie MacNair. They should be wandering around the halls near here."

"Yes, my Lord."

"Quickly, Wormtail." Peter Pettigrew scurried out of the room. A few minutes later, he reentered with the two women. "Good. That will be all, Wormtail."

Both women had sunk into deep bows upon seeing their master. Severus noted that Rosalie winced and was stiff as she returned to an upright position. Upon noticing he was staring at her, she shot him a poisonous glare.

"Ah, Bella. It would appear that your young student is most popular…"

"My Lord, I- I don't understand," Bellatrix replied.

"Don't lie to me Bella. You know what I mean. Severus has chosen Rosalie for his wife."

Severus could feel Rosalie's eyes boring into the back of his head, trying to break his defenses.

"But, my Lord, she is mine! You told me she was safe from him!" Bellatrix shrieked, enraged.

"I did not think he would choose her. And now that he has, she is forfeit to him."

"But my Lord-"

"Silence, Bella! You dare defy me?" the Dark Lord bellowed.

"No my Lord- I only-" Rosalie noticed the Dark Lord's tight grip on his wand, his fingers itching to use it.

"My Lord? If I may, I would like to propose a game," Rosalie began.

"A game? How very like _you_, Bella." The Dark Lord considered her for a moment. "Go on…"

"If Snape can get me to accept his proposal, I'll marry him. But if he cannot…" The Dark Lord's thin lips curved into a grin.

"I see her two years with you have not been wasteful, Bella. A game…" He paused. "There would have to be rules, of course."

"Rules, my Lord?" Rosalie implored.

"Yes…" the Dark Lord whispered. "You two, stand together," he barked, gesturing at Rosalie and Severus. "Now grasp hands." Both obeyed, forfeiting their right hands to each other. The Dark Lord rose from his throne-like chair and stood perpendicular to them, the tip of his wand hovering over their interwoven hands.

"Master, the Unbreakable Vow? Is that really-" Bellatrix began, but fell silent with a glare from the Dark Lord.

"You may not kill or seriously incapacitate one another," the Dark Lord started. Severus noticed that Rosalie look slightly disappointed. "You may not use the Imperius curse to force and answer or abandonment of the game. You may not kill or grievously maim another Death Eaters. Do you understand and agree?"

"Yes," Rosalie replied rapidly.

"Yes, I do, my Lord," came Severus's slow reply. A thin ribbon of flame encompassed their grasped hands.

"The game shall last one month. At the stroke of midnight on December 12th, you must both abandon any and all attempts to sway the other party. Do you agree?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"Yes." A second ribbon of flame shot out of the wand and joined its counterpart around their hands.

"Do you both accept the consequences and potential outcomes of this… _activity?_" Severus stared into Rosalie's navy eyes, daring her to refuse. Recognizing the challenge she narrowed her eyes.

"Yes," they replied in unison. The third ribbon of flame joined the other two snaking around their hands, forming a chain.

"So be it." The Dark Lord yanked his wand upwards breaking the spell's hold. The chain lingered for a moments, the radiant flames licking at their pale skin before it settled into their hands, thus binding them. Rosalie felt a slight constriction on her lungs, as though she had been forced into a dress that was too tight.

"You are dismissed. Let the game begin." Rosalie yanked back her hand and gave Severus a malicious little grin. "Bellatrix, stay. I would like to have a word with you." Rosalie, who had already begun to walk out, paused. "Do not wait for her, Rosalie. It might be a while…"

Rosalie turned on her heel and started to walk briskly to the door, where Severus was already waiting, holding the door open for her.

"Thank you," she said coldly.

"Any time. Actually, Rosalie, I was hoping to extend to you an invitation for dinner at my residence tomorrow night," he said silkily.

"At what time?"

"Eight o'clock."

Rosalie smiled. "Ah, yes, I think that can be arranged." She paused. "And so you've made the first move. And you've done it immediately, too! I can't say I'm not glad, I was afraid you would procrastinate. This will be much more enjoyable."

"I'm sure," he replied slowly. "Oh, I've almost forgotten. I've recently, ah, moved. I will have someone meet you at a quarter till eight in front of Bellatrix's office her, since you seem to spend your evenings there anyways."

She grinned malevolently as she took a step forward, clasping her hands around his neck and pressing her soft body against his. Rosalie looked amused when he tensed, her tinkling laughter reverberating around the stone hallway.

"I look forward to it," she whispered in his ear. When he did not reply she kissed his neck, her lips caressing the pressure point at the onset of his jaw. "Until then, _mon adversaire_." She released him and left, disappearing into the corridor, the vestiges of a smile on her lips.

***


End file.
